Flying the coup in retail

I know you have seen these. If you haven’t you probably haven’t been spending money in a store. At the end of your cash register tape is a website, an ID number and an opportunity to tell cyberspace and the company what you thought of your transaction. Months ago, PC pharmacy did the same. PC Pharmacy has never been an innovator…PC Pharmacy is the ultimate follower, both in trends and wages ( sadly). Every few weeks I see a stack of comments in my mail box from the surveys that people have bothered to fill out.

These surveys serve a couple of purposes. 1) they supposedly gain “valuable feedback” and 2) they collect your email address so they can send you emails every day for the rest of your life.( or until you unsubscribe for the thousandth time…been there done that). PC doesn’t do surveys on register tapes. I have enough junk email thank you and I am spending way too much time UN subscribing from such junk. If I love ( or hate) something, I will usually man-up and speak to somebody directly.

I cannot speak for everybody, but I think I can speak for many. Most people who fill out surveys are NOT the people so love the store. They are usually people who have 1) an axe to grind about something or someONE that pissed them off or 2) hope to win something and don’t mind putting their email out for yet another daily send.

The people who love your store show their appreciation by continuing to do business there. Its pretty simple actually. If I go to dinner at a restaurant and I have a meal I think isnt worth the money I spent on it, I just don’t come back. I don’t throw a fit, demand a refund, or ruin somebody’s day. Truth is, if the food is poor enough, over time, the business will usually fail. I went to this place on my own volition, nobody forced me.

My assumption proved to be true. When the program started, the only comments we ( being the store) were mainly negative. it wasn’t until we specifically asked our favorites to complete a survey ( if they consented) did we start seeing the glowing responses. This proved my point. Once we quit specifically asking, the surveys dropped back to normal. I dont feel very good about asking people to complete surveys that I myself dont prefer to do.

What people write, in and of itself makes great reading. Sometimes its insulting the assumptions they make. ” Its none of your pharmacy’s business why I take a medication, they shouldn’t ask me so many questions”. Nearly every pharmacy school starts counselling lessons with this statement WHAT DID THE DOCTOR TELL YOU THIS MEDICATION WAS FOR?. I personally don’t counsel that way but many many younger pharmacists do.

” Your prices are too expensive” Interesting since this comment revealed other things about the comment she left that allowed me to ID the writer. I am not in control of your prices when your insurance dictates the price of your Nexium.

” I ordered a refill on friday and your pharmacy called me to tell me it was out of stock til monday. I shouldn’t have to wait 3 days to get a refill”. Well, we think you might feel grateful that a staff member bothered to CALL you to pass on that message. Other wise order your refills on Sun thru Thurs and you wont have to wait 3 days, you will only wait 24 hours. We dont have a million dollars in inventory, and with my new inventory targets, I will have out of stocks more often than ever.

” I dont like your pharmacy lay out. I can’t watch the pharmacy staff”. Well, do you think I should be practicing in a fish bowl? Do you want other customers to see your prescriptions? Do you want others to hear what I say to you about your VALTREX and VIAGRA? Would you prefer your doctors have windows in their exam room that look out into the waiting rooms? Or would you like your lawyer or accountant to practice in his lobby? In my opinion, we are already too visible. Its an exercise in frustration to maintain privacy in the pharmacy both for us and for our clients, when the phones sit immediately above the blood pressure machine. Yup, Joe blow can listen to every word I say. Hows that Hipaa? If it were up to me, I’d be working behind a wall, and nobody would see the drugs.

” you should have coffee available for your customers” I am assuming you mean FREE?? because we have a Coffee bar by a major player in the market at the front of the store who would be happy to SELL you a very excellent cup of coffee custom made just for you! If you want free coffee, drop your car off at the dealership for an oil change. Mine gives free coffee AND all the old magazines you can read!

” Your lines are too long”. Yup, sometimes we have lines. If 10 people walk up to the counter ( and we only have one register) somebody will be #1 and somebody will be #10. We have peak times, and we have less than peak times. If you visit us during our peak times, then you will find longer lines. have you ever driven an urban freeway at say, 5:00pm? We make every attempt to move those lines as quickly as possible.

“everytime I come in, eveybody is so RUDE”. Ah yes, lets play the RUDE card. Since I have worked there for almost 23 years, I can say with no reservations that none of my employees start ANY transaction with the intention of being rude to anybody. If you are a complete A$$hole, you probably will not get the glowing gushing love fest you might hope for, but you will not be treated rudely. We dont like being treated like servants, but we are very adept at keeping calm. I am a believer of ” you get what you give” in life so I refuse to respond likewise to people who are jerks to me, and if holding my tongue and keeping a pretty neutral demeanor is being rude, then so be it. the alternative isn’t so great because punching you in the face is against company policy.

” Your pharmacy wouldn’t refund me for an item I purchased”. Well first off, you cant return prescription items, and second, I am pretty sure I knew the writer of this comment. He tried to return an store brand item….from another chain. I told him, this isn’t a PC pharmacy item its BIG-BOX store brand…” see the logo?”

All in a days work. All I can say, is at the end of the day, I am glad I get to come home to my dogs. More about my dog later..

Your shouting at us through the window opening was sort of a clue to your presence. Plus the big clear Plexiglass windows that we work behind allowed us to actually see you. We don’t need a bell, as that would make me smack it upside your head as you ring it for the umpteenth time (also against company policy, unfortunately)

murgatr
Pharm. Tech. RDC’06.I have two massive convex mirrors and a closed circuit camera. I can see everybody who comes to the
Counter but I hear that also… no bells!! They are for pets and circus animals!! I have literally watched somebody come up to the window and IMMEDIATELY shout ” HELLO!! does anybody work here?” Jeez, get a clue.

Love reading your blog – I couldn’t have written it any better. Keep it up! You give your fellow pharmacists a good laugh and a comforting feeling that many of us share the same experiences (good and bad) 🙂

As a matter of fact, I can see you the moment you enter the store and I can tell by your demeanor what you’re going to be like within 12 feet of the counter.

Sometimes, I can even tell what your script looks like from where I’m checking filled vials. I’ve been in the business 30 years.

I make eye contact across the aisles, maybe even give the silent ‘just a moment’ look, and you know it, too. You don’t have to come up to the counter and remark loudly to any customers already standing there, as if I cannot hear you!

Here’s a few that we can all relate to:
I have NO REFILLS? But I am totally out of medication! Yes, the bottle states NO REFILLS and why did you wait until you took your LAST pill?
I don’t want to pay that much for that Ointment, YOU call my insurance/doctor and get me something cheaper.
I cannot hear the bell ringing in the drive thru that is why I sat on the bell until you came. (Sorry but I am alone here, no technician due to company cutback)
What? I cannot get more Sudafed? I have not purchased over the limit!!!! (Web site doesn’t lie)
I ordered my refill last night at 10pm and it is not ready now at 9am when you open? (Sorry the elves were off last night doing Christmas things)
I just left my doctors office and they called in a script as I left, is it ready yet? (seriously?)
What is a prior authorization and why can’t YOU do it? (Let’s go over this again)
I know this insurance card is right! (I called the insurance co. and they said it expired and your wife has a new card) NO I DO NOT…..(hence a complaint to corporate that we did not take care of him and were rude…..but he returned with a NEW card later.)
I could go on and on, as we all could, but after a 12 hour shift (following a partner that is an air head) I drive my sorry a$$ home in the pitch black darkness, open the door to find my 4 dogs so HAPPY to greet me (hubby waits for me to decompress with dogs as he was a clinical pharmacist who become so burnt, he now works at Lowes….his dept manager was a clinical psychologist!

After reading this post, I’m going to fill out two surveys from two different locations of the same pharmacy chain… with positive reviews! Yesterday evening two different pharmacy staff members worked very hard to get my two prescriptions filled for me and even contacted the other location for me when they found out they were out of stock on one of the meds. People like to complain, but I think y’all need to get kudos more often for you hard work and dedication. It’s very much appreciated!!!

My Disclaimer

This is a BLOG, written for entertainment purposes only. It is not a website for medical advice or drug information. I am a pharmacist, but I am not YOUR pharmacist. This site should never be used as a substitute for medical care. I do not have your medical history. If you ask Pharmacy Chick a question she will answer it at her convenience. I will not deliberately mislead you or give you wrong information, but I will probably not do exhaustive research either to verify its accuracy. If in doubt, please re-read the first two sentences of this paragraph.
I will never use anybody's actual name. If I use a name, it will be completly ficticious. I may likely have changed the gender of my subject as well. These events may have happened today or 1 year or more ago. If it sounds similar to you or somebody you know, its not. This stuff repeats itself a thousand times a day in pharmacies all over the world. I may even change some of the story to make a point.
If you like what I say, comment on it. I preview every comment before it is posted. I will not post any comment that is overtly rude, profane or remotely sniffs of commercial offering or spam. Do not ask me to endorse a particular product. I do not accept any kind of advertising.
So, there ya go! Happy Reading